Transparent epoxy resin is a versatile material that allows you to make an original table, jewelry, 3D floors. See how to create it yourself. Transparent resin allows you to do many interesting things - this is all kinds of decorations, table tops for tables, decor items and even voluminous 3D floors. To deal with this material, study its varieties and characteristics in order to determine for yourself which type is right for you.
Transparent resin: types and their characteristics
For home art, epoxy is most often used. But in addition to making jewelry and souvenirs from it, this material is used to create polymer floors with a fashionable 3D effect. Thanks to this, the lower part of the room resembles the ocean with its underwater inhabitants, flowering fields and everything that you can wish for.
The self-leveling floor is multi-level, one of the layers is a special canvas on which a drawing is applied using the technique of color printing. What plot is captured there, this will be on the self-leveling floors. Their surface is made of transparent resin, so the image on the canvas is clearly visible.
Products made of epoxy resin are durable, water and sun resistant. One of the most popular Magic Crystal-3D epoxy resins. It is used to create jewelry, decorative items, 3D fill and glossy coatings.
Epoxy CR 100 epoxy resin is also used to create polymer floors, which is characterized by antistatic properties, wear resistance, and good chemical resistance.
Epoxy is sold with a solvent. Usually these two substances are mixed in a 2: 1 ratio just before use. The second type of resin is acrylic. It is also used to create self-leveling floors, souvenirs. Acrylic resin is used for the manufacture of baths, waterfalls and artificial reservoirs, molds for casting products. Artificial stone is made of this material, including artificial marble.
Perhaps you have heard about transparent designer sinks, bathtubs. This type of resin is used for them.
Transparent polyester resin is also used to create plumbing products. But this type of polymer is most often used in industrial production, and not in home. Transparent polymer resin is used in the automotive industry, the shipbuilding industry, and in auto-tuning. Fiberglass, known to almost everyone, is made from polymer resins.
Epoxy is the most popular for home art, as it costs less than acrylic. But for the production of small items of jewelry, it is better to take acrylic, which does not collect air bubbles, like epoxy. However, there are subtleties that will help prevent this trouble when working with cheaper material. You will soon find out about them.
How to make an epoxy countertop?
If you need to update an old one, then adopt an interesting idea. To implement it, you will need:
- coins;
- epoxy resin with a thickener;
- pliers;
- ticks;
- water-based varnish;
- autogen;
- wooden slats;
- glue.
If you are decorating a wooden surface, wash it, let it dry, prime and paint. If you have an old coated countertop, you need to remove it, then paint it over.
The hardest part is bending coins, cutting them. Pliers and pliers will help you, as well as masculine strength. But if some of this is not there, do not make the side ends on the tabletop, place the coins only on top, it will still turn out beautifully.
The coins will need to be washed. There are several ways to do this:
- Pour Cola drink into a saucepan, lower coins, put on fire. The solution will boil and clear your money. You can just pour the coins with this drink, do not heat, but leave overnight. They will be clean by morning.
- Place a pot of coins and water on a fire. When the liquid boils, add a little vinegar and baking soda. The solution will foam, so add enough water to fill the pot no more than halfway.
- Use a special cleanser called Tarn-X. It is diluted in water according to the instructions, not in food containers, coins are immersed there. The container must be carefully twisted over the sink in order to evenly moisten the money and thus wash it.
After using any of these methods, rinse the coins well in running water and lay them to dry on towels. But you can also buy new coins from the bank.
- Here's how to make the countertop itself. Spread the coins on its surface, after which you need to fill them with a mixture of epoxy resin with a thickener. But before that, you need to prepare.
- If you don't want to mess around for a long time, put cellophane under the surface to be treated, and you can pour the resin. But after mixing with the thickener, it is necessary to leave the mass for a while so that it hardens a little, does not become too liquid.
- In any case, it will drip down a little, so in order to save the solution, you need to periodically collect these drops with a spatula, apply where there is little resin. But even if this is not done, the wiped resin will be on cellophane, which you just need to throw out at the end of the work.
- You can first make an edging for the countertop from wooden slats or bars, then place coins, fill in with epoxy.
- Don't be discouraged if you see air bubbles on the surface you create. We drive them out with the flame of an autogen.
- Now you need to let the product dry completely, it will take a couple of days. At this time, the main thing is that no one touches the surface, that dust and animal hair do not settle.
- After the resin has completely dried, cover the surface with a water-based varnish, after it dries, the new product is ready for use.
If you are interested in this process and there is a whole piggy bank of coins, or maybe metal money of the old denomination remains, then make a self-leveling floor, for example, in the bathroom or in the kitchen.
Epoxy resin jewelry: bracelet and brooch
See how to make a stylish bracelet out of this material.
For him, take:
- set consisting of epoxy resin with a thickener;
- silicone mold for the bracelet;
- plastic cup;
- a toothpick;
- stick (you can from ice cream);
- scissors;
- dried flowers;
- disposable syringes.
Pour 2 parts resin and one thickener into a glass.
Use disposable syringes to measure the exact amount of thickener and epoxy. To form as few air bubbles as possible, mix these formulations slowly.
If there are still air bubbles, let the mixture stand for a while so that they disappear. But don't thicken it too much.
Pour the gooey mixture into the bracelet mold. Put dried flowers cut with scissors there, helping yourself with a toothpick. With them, you can pierce air bubbles so that it comes out.
Leave the bracelet to harden for a day, then carefully remove it from the mold and try on a new fashion accessory.
Instead of dried flowers, you can decorate the bracelet with buttons of a beautiful color.
If you want to make a brooch in the shape of a butterfly, then watch the next master class.
For her you will need:
- a dry butterfly bought in a store;
- scissors;
- epoxy resin with solvent;
- two toothpicks;
- gloves;
- aqua varnish;
- mechanism for a brooch.
Manufacturing instruction:
- Cut the butterfly into 5 pieces: separating the wings and bodies. Cover these parts with aqua varnish first on the back side.
- Place the workpieces on a plastic-covered surface. For this, a tile is suitable, on which the package is put on and fixed.
- Lubricate the front of the butterfly with varnish. While it dries, dilute the epoxy with the solvent, stirring slowly.
- Place the container in a warm place so that the solution thickens a little and does not drain from the workpieces when pouring. Cover them with a small layer, spread it over the surface with a toothpick.
- We wait until the parts are dry, then cover them with epoxy mixture from the back side. We are also waiting for this layer to dry, after which we dilute the third portion of the solution, set it aside so that it thickens well, but is plastic. This will make it easy to glue the wings to the body, which you will do. At the same time, give the wings the desired position.
- Using the remaining solution, attach a metal mechanism to the back of the brooch. Remove the jewelry by covering it with dust so that the solution is completely dry.
That's how you got a beautiful new brooch.
How to make a pendant: 2 workshops
See what other wonderful resin jewelry you can make with your own hands.
You will need:
- epoxy resin with hardener;
- metal form;
- disposable cups and spoons;
- small scissors;
- mandarin;
- stained glass paint;
- lacquer for fixing Fimo Vernis brillante;
- stained glass paint;
- sandpaper;
- attachment for a brooch;
- Alcor silicone compound.
Peel the tangerine. Take the most beautiful slice, carefully, clinging to the skin with scissors, remove it from one side. On the other hand, the pin will subsequently be attached, not to the slice, but to the workpiece from it.
Form 2 wedges in this way, put them in a mold. Knead the silicone compound, pour it into the prepared container. Let the silicone cure.
Now you can remove the slices from the container, discard them, and rinse the form itself in cold water. If the edges of the grooves are uneven, trim them with scissors.
After a day, the silicone will completely solidify, then you can pour the prepared epoxy solution into the mold. When the workpiece is dry, sand it a little with fine sandpaper or an engraver. Attach a brooch fastener to the back of the blank, paint the mandarin orange stained glass paint. Apply 1 coat first, then the second. After they dry, go over the surface with varnish.
These are wonderful tangerine shaped epoxy resin jewelry that can be made with diligence.
If you want to learn how to make a round pendant, then check out another master class. For it you will need:
- dried flowers;
- round molds;
- epoxy resin;
- thickener;
- disposable plastic cups;
- tweezers;
- scissors;
- sandpaper;
- polishing paste;
- felt nozzle;
- accessories for a pendant.
If you do not have round molds, then take a plastic ball. It needs to be cut in half, greased inside with Vaseline. After pouring the resin, seal the cut with plasticine so that it does not flow out. In the absence of purchased dried flowers, make them yourself from the presented bouquet. Dry voluminous flowers, such as roses, by tying them by the stems, dropping them down in buds. If you want to dry individual petals, then place them between the pages of an old book. Fragile voluminous flowers are dried in a container into which semolina is poured.
It is important to dry these blanks well, since if the process is not performed well, the flower or part of it will eventually rot while in the pendant. In order for the plant to retain its color as long as possible, take an epoxy resin that protects from ultraviolet radiation.
Assemble a mini-bouquet by gluing flowers, petals, leaves together using epoxy resin mixed with a thickener.
When it hardens, carefully place this small bouquet in round molds or half a plastic ball. A freshly prepared epoxy mixture should be left for 2–3 minutes so that air can escape and its bubbles do not spoil the appearance of the product. Now you can pour the resin into the mold, wait until it thickens.
Until such a ball turns out, it will not be quite even in shape. To fix this, first go over the surface with a coarse grain, then a fine grain. It is better to do this in water so that there is no dust, and the process goes faster.
The next step is polishing. For this, a plastic or headlight polish purchased from a motorist store works well. Apply it to the felt nozzle, walk from all sides over the workpiece.
Here's how to make the pendant next. To attach the chain to the ball, take the cap and pin.
Put the pin on the hat, use round-nose pliers to fold it into a loop. Glue this blank to the pendant with epoxy.
All that remains is to attach the chain and wear such an unusual pendant with pleasure.
And now we suggest that you sit comfortably in an armchair, watch a cognitive plot on how to make a ring out of wood and epoxy resin.
These two materials are also the main characters of the next video. From it you will learn how to make a table using a similar technique.
